AANA / American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

03/16/2026

Your shortcut to the latest from the AANA Journal.🎧 Listen to AANA On Air for clinical insights, innovations, and ideas shaping anesthesia practice.

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03/12/2026

Ohio has enacted new legislation modernizing outdated statutes governing CRNAs.

House Bill 52 updates Ohio’s anesthesia laws by replacing the physician supervision requirement with a collaborative framework that better reflects how anesthesia teams operate in today’s healthcare settings.

With this change, Ohio becomes the 45th state to modernize the CRNA-physician relationship.

On March 10, 2026, Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 52 into law. The legislation replaces outdated and unclear requirements with streamlined language aligned with current training, practice standards, and patient care models. The law takes effect June 8, 2026.

03/11/2026

🚨 Last call to submit feedback on proposed updates to the Scope of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. The draft modernizes the document to reflect that all CRNA program graduates now earn a doctoral degree and includes revisions to the Preoperative, Intraoperative, and Pain Management sections.

Because this document helps define the CRNA role and scope of qualified clinical services, it’s important for the profession to weigh in:

Explore open comment opportunities held by AANA Staff and the AANA Practice Committee. Share your insights and help shape best practices in the field.

03/11/2026

Thousands of advocates have spoken up. The proposed cap on federal student loans threatens the anesthesia workforce pipeline and could limit access to care for patients across the country.

03/11/2026

🎉 Celebrating Delaware’s first cohort of doctoral nurse anesthesiology students!

This historic class has begun training at ChristianaCare through a new partnership with Wilmington University and Anesthesia Services, PA (ASPA). The 36-month program prepares critical care nurses to become CRNAs and strengthens the pipeline of anesthesia professionals serving communities across Delaware. Programs like this are vital as the demand for anesthesia care continues to grow nationwide.

03/10/2026

🆕 Joint Commission FAQs on Health Profession Student Participation in Patient Care have been published here: https://bit.ly/3P1Vof5

"Joint Commission standards are not intended to restrict or prohibit health profession students who are enrolled in an approved educational program to participate in the delivery of patient care activities while under the supervision of an appropriately licensed health care provider. Examples of health profession students may include, but are not limited to:

- Nursing students
- Advanced practice provider students (e.g., SRNA, PAs, NPs)"

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center recently partnered with U.S. Northern Command’s Arctic Edge 2026 team to conduct a full-scale emergency drill involving two simulated trauma patients. The exercise tested the entire response workflow from ambulance arrival through surgical preparation and coordinating a potential Air MEDEVAC transfer.

CRNAs played a key role in the simulation, including April Erickson and Tara Bonardi of AKANA, as well as Navy CRNAs CDR Danny Eason, NC, USN and CDR Lani Kuhlow, MC, USN. Their participation highlights the critical role CRNAs play in trauma care, surgical readiness, and collaborative emergency response.

03/09/2026

📖 Did you catch the most recent edition of the AANA Journal?

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03/09/2026

The open comment period for the Scope of Nurse Anesthesia Practice is open through March 11, 2026. The draft includes updated language reflecting the doctoral degree for CRNA program graduates and revisions to the Preoperative, Intraoperative, and Pain Management sections.

This document helps define the CRNA role and scope of practice. Your input is important! Share your comments here:

Explore open comment opportunities held by AANA Staff and the AANA Practice Committee. Share your insights and help shape best practices in the field.

03/06/2026

👏 Congratulations to Maria van Pelt, PhD, CRNA, CNE, CPPS, FAAN, FAANA, who has been appointed to the ASATT Board of Directors as the AANA Liaison!

Dr. van Pelt is a respected leader in nurse anesthesiology and patient safety. In this new role, she will help strengthen collaboration between AANA and the American Society of Anesthesia Technologists and Technicians - ASATT, advancing high standards for patient safety.

Read more in the comments below.

03/03/2026

Yesterday, Senators Jeff Merkley and Roger Wicker, along with Representatives Jen Kiggans and Suzanne Bonamici led a bipartisan letter signed by nearly 160 Members of Congress calling on the Department of Education to protect nursing education. This builds on a previous December effort that garnered support from 140 lawmakers.

This would not have been possible without the thousands of CRNAs who contacted their Members of Congress and made their voices heard. Your grassroots advocacy is making a real impact.

Thank you to everyone who took action and helped elevate this critical issue for our profession!

Read the press release, letter, and full list of signers here:

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Mississippi’s U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, along with U.S. Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), led a bipartisan group of over 150 lawmakers in calling for the U.S. Department of Education to not ma...